Holidays

Each Thanksgiving we take a moment to reflect on how thankful we are for all the blessings in our lives, from our health and our families to life’s simple pleasures: a fresh cup of coffee, our favorite songs playing on the radio, and a good piece of chocolate. Of course, we could never forget about our amazing clients. We’d like to take this chance to say a special thank you for the trust that you place in us, the stories you share, and the relationships we form. We’re humbled and proud to know and work with you, and it’s our goal every day to do the very best that we can for you.

We wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

To celebrate the holiday, our office will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 23rd and 24th. We’ll be excited to be back at work for you again on Monday, November 27th.

Here are a few fun facts about Thanksgiving to share with your friends and family:

The first TV dinners were made by Tyson using leftover Thanksgiving turkey. (Source)

Even though the first Thanksgiving was in 1621, it wasn’t an official national holiday until 1863 – 242 years later! (Source)

We have Sarah Josepha Hale, the author of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, to thank for campaigning for 36 years to make sure our favorite day of eating was recognized. (Source)

The lucky recipient of the President’s annual turkey pardon gets a pretty cool vacation out of the deal as well, including past destinations like Disneyland, Disney World, and Mount Vernon. (Source)

Black Friday isn’t just the biggest shopping day of the year, it’s also the busiest day of the year for plumbers. (Source)

Turkey isn’t to blame for making you sleepy; a big, carb-heavy meal is more likely the culprit. (Source)

Happy President’s Day! Each presidency comes with its fair share of champions and naysayers and we all know the numbers can be interpreted to support both sides of the aisle.

We’re celebrating this President’s Day with a look at various economic statistics during each President’s term since Eisenhower (1953 – 1961) as most data wasn’t consistently tracked before then. Enjoy the look back!

2016 has been a whirlwind of a year, but hopefully not on your finances. Life changes and with it come new expenses or new financial goals. It’s important to regularly check in on your finances to ensure you are staying on track. What better time than the new year?

Here are 5 things to review as we move into 2017:

Income and expenses

The key to managing a spending plan is knowing how much money is coming in and how much is going out. As we head into the new year, review your pay stubs, earnings reports and other sources of income and crunch some numbers. Once you’ve figured out your income, do the same with your expenses.

Try out an online budget tool or use online banking to automatically categorize your expenses so you can see where you are spending the most. Pull up your budget from last year to see what may have changed and adjust as needed. Remember to be realistic about how much you will spend, not how much you want to spend.

Many people may experience a spiked eggnog hangover during the holiday season, but do you also find yourself with a spending hangover? That nagging feeling that you may have spent too much on gifts for your loved ones but you aren’t really sure how much you should have spent?

According to a recent survey by T. Rowe Price, you are not alone. Of the participants surveyed, 64% “spent more over the holidays than [they] should have”. And women are not the only ones doing the holiday shopping. “Men are more likely than women to try to get everything on their kids’ lists (60% vs. 45%).” The holiday spending hangover is increasing as well. Of the participants surveyed, 69% spent the same amount, a little bit more, or a lot more than last year.

As Thanksgiving approaches we like to take a moment to reflect on all of the things we have to be grateful for. When we asked the team what they are grateful for, Joel’s response encapsulated how all of us at SH&J feel, “I am grateful for clients who trust us to manage their portfolios.”

From all of us, thank you for your trust in us. We are so grateful for you!

The team at Sharkey, Howes and Javer wish you a happy Fourth of July. We hope you enjoy the ball games, cook-outs and fireworks often associated with celebrating our independence. Please, take a moment to remember those who have fought for our country and the freedoms we enjoy.

In observance of the holiday, our office will be closed on Monday, July 4th. We will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday, July 5th.

For many, Presidents Day is simply a three-day-weekend. For others it is another day at the office. Presidents Day was first known as “Washington’s Birthday” and was established in 1885 in recognition of George Washington’s birthday. After the 1971 Uniform Monday Holiday Act, the day became commonly known as Presidents day. (source)

Join us today in learning a few facts about some of our former presidents:

George Washington (1st President 1789-1797)

George Washington’s estate was worth about $780,000 when he died which was about 0.19% of the nation’s GDP at that time. In 2014, his estate would have been worth about $34 billion in today’s dollars. (source)

Reminder: SH&J is closed at 12:00 p.m. on December 31 and all day on January 1 to allow our team to celebrate the New Year.

It’s hard to believe the year is nearly over and 2016 is about to begin. We have been steadily blogging and thought it would be fun to end the year by sharing our most popular blog posts and series. Feel free to share your favorites as well as what you’d like to see on our blog in 2016 in the comments below.

As healthcare continues to change, having a partner to advocate for your care and the care of your loved ones is more important than ever. If you were unable to attend our event in the Spring, we highly recommend watching the video. Watch Now>

All of us at Sharkey, Howes and Javer wish you peace, joy and prosperity throughout the coming year. Thank you for your continued trust. We look forward to working with you in 2016 and the years to come.

At Thanksgiving we take time to reflect on how thankful we are for you — our clients. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones. We will be closed on Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th to allow our team to celebrate the holiday.

In the spirit of the season, enjoy this excerpt from the poem “The Pumpkin” by John Greenleaf Whittier.Read the full poem here